Welcome to Gotham
by Selina K
Summary: Hermione Granger takes a business trip to Gotham City. Harry Potter/DCU crossover. Set during 52 and features Jason Todd Red Hood .


Title: Welcome to Gotham

Author: Selina Kyle

Rating: PG-13 for language

Fandom: Harry Potter/DCU X-over

Characters: Hermione Granger, Red Hood (Jason Todd)

Summary: Hermione takes a business trip to Gotham City.

Word Count: 1,487

Author's Notes:Set during the events of _52_. No beta, so please forgive the errors.

"Can I help you?"

The police clerk's scowl of displeasure was meant to be intimidating, but Hermione Granger had become, within the space of 24 hours, used to the less than welcoming attitude exhibited by the residents of Gotham City. She pasted a pleasant smile on her face and pushed on, hoping that he'd be impressed enough by her accent to give her the information she needed.

"Yes, sir. I was hoping that you might be able to tell me how I can contact the Batman."

The clerk let out a short bark of laughter. "Miss, we ain't a messaging service for him."

Her brows knitted together in confusion. "But I thought – isn't there some sort of signal you use to communicate with him?" She shuffled through the notes in front of her until she found the newspaper clipping that contained a grainy black and white photograph of a black bat outlined against a cloudy night sky.

"There." She waved the clipping triumphantly at the clerk, who seemed less than impressed with her discovery. "We don't use that anymore," he said in an annoyed tone. "Besides, Batman hasn't been seen since the…you know…" He gestured vaguely at some spot behind her. "Sorry miss, can't help you," he said with finality and turned his attention to the computer screen in front of him. Frowning at the abrupt dismissal, Hermione opened her mouth to argue with the clerk but realized that there was really no information to be gained here. She snatched up her notes and marched out of the police station, ignoring the curious stares thrown in her direction.

Outside, Hermione frowned at the gloomy sky. While she knew that tracking down the Batman would be difficult, she never considered that it would be impossible. He was only a Muggle after all. He didn't have (according to her research) special powers like the Superman in Metropolis. She considered her next option. It certainly wasn't the wisest plan of action, but the thought of returning to England empty-handed made her sick to her stomach.

As if on cue, her belly chose that precise moment to loudly inform her of the approaching dinner hour. Flushing red with embarrassment (and thankful that no one was near her), Hermione sighed and began the long walk back to her hotel. Perhaps her outlook might improve after a hearty meal and several glasses of wine.

Under the spluttering light of a dirty lamp post, Hermione surreptiously checked her map to verify her location (one could never be too sure when apparating within an unfamiliar city). According to the landmarks, she was in the East End, an area in which the Batman was frequently sighted. She stashed the map away inside her coat and exchanged it for the wand hidden inside the lining. Just the feel of its familiar shape did much to calm her racing heart beat. With renewed determination, Hermione slipped her wand inside her sleeve and began to stroll down the nearly deserted street.

Her goal tonight was to see if she could run into the Batman during his patrols. If that didn't work…

"Hey baby! Wanna party with us?"

Shadows peeled off from a darkened street corner just ahead of her, materializing into three hulking shapes that spread out and surrounded her. Hermione's eyes flicked upwards, searching the rooftops for any sign of the Batman and finding none. Disappointed, Hermione turned her attention back to the Muggles. They were now close enough that she could make out their leering faces, along with the rather nasty metal objects swinging from their hands.

"Ah, no, but thanks for the invitation," she replied as she edged away from them. A slight twist of her wrist and her wand slid down into her palm. It would be easy enough to disapparate in front of them, but Hermione preferred to do magic without any Muggle witnesses. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied the entrance to an alley. If she could duck into it, she'd at least be able to perform the spell with no one around.

Just as she was about to sprint away, a voice drawled out from above her. "You boys must be smoking something good 'cause she's clearly out of your league."

Jason Todd wanted to hit someone. Wanted to feel flesh sinking under the weight of his fists, the crack of bone breaking after a well-placed kick. So when he saw the tourist being surrounded by those low-life thugs, he jumped in immediately, eager to take out his frustration on those who definitely deserved a beating.

Yeah, he wanted to dance tonight. Only problem was, no one else wanted to take him up on his offer.

"Shit, it's the Red Hood!" they yelled as they staggered back, fear wiping away the smirks on their pock-marked faces. Jason took one step forward and they scattered back into the shadows, robbing him of the fight he'd needed.

"You're fucking kidding me!" he shouted in disgust. Part of him wanted to go after them before he remembered the woman behind him. "Fucking pussies," he grumbled as he twisted around to face her. "You lost or something? Missed the last tour bus?"

His voice trailed off when he saw the slim wooden stick grasped tightly in her hand. "Huh. Not a tourist." Jason carefully maintained his casual posture, brushing one hand along the front of his jacket to extract a _shuriken_ from its hiding place. He didn't have much experience fighting magic-users, but he was pretty sure that she'd be useless without her wand. "Haven't seen one of your kind in Gotham before."

"One of my kind?"

"Yeah. You're a witch right?" The corner of his lips curled up in a smirk when her mouth fell open in surprise. Still, she answered his question by nodding slowly.

"How do you know about…us?"

Jason shook his head at her. "Sorry, it's too early in our relationship to tell you all my secrets."

"Right." The woman tilted her head up, as if searching the night sky for something. Jason could've taken her down then, but he decided to wait and see what she would do. His instincts turned out to be correct when she put the wand away inside her coat.

"My name is Hermione Granger. I'm a witch, just as you said, and I'm here on a…you might call it a research project." Fuck, but that posh accent was really getting to him. Jason shifted his hips slightly as she continued to speak.

"Since you seem to be one of Gotham's protectors—"

He raised one eyebrow at that statement but said nothing.

"—I was wondering if you might be able to provide me with some assistance in locating the Batman."

The chick was looking for Bruce?

His laughter seemed to startle her, as she took a step back from him. "You picked the wrong time to visit Gotham, lady. Batman hasn't been seen in…oh…couple of months now." He moved forward, closing the distance between the two of them. "Why are you so interested in him anyway?" he asked, genuinely curious about her presence in his city. Her people, according to the intel he had, preferred to stay below the radar.

"Ah..." Hermione's eyes flicked to the side, betraying her uncertainty. "It's really none of your business now is it, Mister…Hood. I'd prefer to speak only with the Batman."

Jason took one more step, just to see if he could rattle her. A long, curly brown strand escaped the ribbon holding her hair back. He saw lift her hand, probably to brush it away, but she seemed to reconsider and dropped it back down. Instead, she tried to stare him down. It was a good thing he had his helmet on; he was sure she'd be absolutely ticked off if she saw his grin. He let a few seconds tick by before he twisted away from her.

"Whatever. As I said, Batman's not here. And no, I don't know when he's coming back." Jason reached up to the fire escape above him and lifted himself up. He was almost to the roof before he called down to her.

"Need any help getting out of here?"

"No, thanks. I can manage by myself."

Blending in with the shadows, Jason watched her glance around before pulling her wand out again. She looked up in his direction, and then disappeared in a blink of an eye.

Well, that was…interesting. He thought about tracking her down, finding out what she was really up. It would be easy enough, he smirked to himself, as it was highly doubtful that she'd hidden her movements well.

All thoughts of the mysterious visitor dissipated when the helmet's receiver crackled in his ear, informing him of a burglary alarm going off just half a mile from where he was. Sweet!

Tonight wasn't going to be a complete waste after all.


End file.
